Looted artefacts from the Asante kingdom are finally on display in Ghana, 150 years after British colonisers took them.
Ghanaians flocked to the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the capital of Asante region, to welcome the 32 items home.
“This is a day for Asante. A day for the Black African continent. The spirit we share is back,” said Asante King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
At this stage the items have only been loaned to Ghana for three years. However, this loan can be extended.
The agreement is between two British museums – the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and British Museum – and the Asante king, not the Ghanaian government.
The Asante king, or Asantehene, is seen as a symbol of traditional authority, and is believed to be invested with the spirits of his predecessors. But his kingdom is now part of Ghana’s modern democracy.
“Our dignity is restored,” Henry Amankwaatia, a retired police commissioner and proud Asante, told reporters, over the hum of jubilant drumming.
The return of the artefacts coincides with the silver jubilee celebration of the Asantehene.
Some of the items, described by some as “Ghana’s crown jewels” were looted during the Anglo-Ashanti wars of the 19th Century, including the famous Sargrenti War of 1874.
Other items like the gold harp (Sankuo) were given to a British diplomat in 1817.
“We acknowledge the very painful history surrounding the acquisition of these objects. A history tainted by the scars of imperial conflict and colonialism,” said Dr Tristam Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, who has travelled to Kumasi for the ceremony.
